Proposal Could Make Tennessee Lawmakers More Careful About Who Pays Their Travel Expenses

Chattanooga Republican Gerald McCormick says that if lawmakers fear their trips being disclosed, they shouldn't take them.

TN Photo Services

Originally published on April 21, 2017 4:38 am

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Tennessee lawmakers may soon be required to disclose when they travel on someone else's dime.

The measure comes after advocates footed the bill for some legislators to go to Florida, North Carolina and even Europe.

Trips have fallen into a gray area of Tennessee law. Excursions had to be disclosed if they were covered by a registered lobbyist or campaign donations, but not if paid for by an outside group or an individual.

"And that's not illegal," he says. "But I think people have a right to know it, and I think the members would like to have an avenue to be more transparent."

So McCormick is pushing House Bill 275, which would require lawmakers to list trips on ethics disclosures. It passed the state House of Representatives unanimously on Thursday, and the measure could be approved by the Senate next week.

McCormick has drawn scrutiny for the trip he took. In 2015, he went with House Speaker Beth Harwell, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and others to North Carolina to visit a private school. The trip was covered by a school vouchers supporter.

Other lawmakers visited London and Amsterdam with the intention of learning about "radical Islam." That tour was put together by an anti-Muslim activist.